All about the stripes.

Rob Forbes’ recent Design Notes on Rem Koolhaas got me thinking about just how much I adored his concept for the European Union flag. The colors and the blending of all the flags to create a beautiful striped pattern resonated with me and I was saddened when his design was deemed unworthy.

Just now, after reading Rob’s letter, I was reminded of two other striped patterns I adore: Alexander Girard’s Millerstripe fabric and Paul Smith’s signature stripes, both of which are seen in the Koolhaas flag.  The Millerstripe adorns DWR’s Eames Sofa Compact and we’re about to launch some upholstered pieces using Paul Smith’s fabrics. But of course I adore them. Just look at my personal site.

Wonder(ful).

Little Wonder is a Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary design studio whose work, tending toward the conceptual, tries to bridge the gap between theory and practice in all forms of design. We’re thrilled that the studio’s two principle designers, Gyunju Chyon and John Stanislav Sadar, have agreed to show their installation piece, Life is Full of Joy, Life is Full of Wonder, at the DWR Philly Studio starting this Sunday. Combining technological materials (glass fiber-optic net) with, well, more organic forms (namely, goldfish), the duo have created a truly unique installation. On display in the Studio’s window through April 8, a lounge chair placed below will offer a laid back view of the piece. Come down and visit if you’re in the area.

Bruno Mathsson comes to the Upper West Side.

 

The Bard Graduate Center, Design Within Reach’s Upper West Side neighbor, is running an exhibit on Swedish architect and designer Bruno Mathsson through June 10th. This is the first exhibit focusing on the work of Mathsson, arguably one of the most important Swedish modernist designers. In 1937 MoMA purchased his Eva chair for its public spaces and throughout the 1940s and 1950s Mathsson focused on ergonomics in his designs, one of the first to do so. His designs quite often featured a backwards tilt because, as he stated, “why should we sit up straight when we don’t have to...one can concentrate much better in a leisurely position.” Case in point: I am writing this slouched backwards in my Chadwick chair.

Mathsson is more a cultish figure than iconic one, due in large part to his resistance to distribute his designs in the 1950s. Many companies, Knoll included, jockeyed for his creations. The exhibit at Bard features "150 examples of furniture, architectural drawings, photographs, and models." The fact that his creations were not mass produced lends itself to the exhibit’s power. Many things seem new and exciting, even if they’re 60 years old.

Small is the new big.

Got an ingeniously decorated apartment that's under 650 square feet? Share your design savvy with the world and enter Apartment Therapy's Smallest, Coolest contest. The Smallest, Coolest Apartment contest is a contest for all small apartments and homes in the world, under 650 square feet (60 square meters). Apartment Therapy is seeking the most ingenious and beautiful 160 submissions along with tips and resources to maximize our own homes. Entries will be accepted thru April 6th. We're excited to be the co-sponsor of the contest. Get going and enter today.

The best corsage ever.

   

Last night I was invited by SECA to an artist talk with Los Angeles based artist Karen Kimmel. This was my first time seeing her work but now I'm definitely a fan. Her art is collaborative, conceptual and crafty. Last night we learned about the different artists (needlepointers, crafters, engineers, art schools, etc) that she's worked with, saw some of her past work and heard about her collaborative process. At a past show in LA she made stencils out of plexiglass that were then affixed to the wall of a gallery. These could be pulled off the wall to be used as a paddle in an art auction. After the auction the stencils were then taken and an Ikebana style art piece was made with the flowers coming out of the cutouts in the stencil. Wow, for sure. One of the highlights last night was seeing a partner of hers creating floral, wearable art and then giving them out. I got to walk away with a laser cut, stenciled wristband with unique flowers woven through it. It was tied to my arm with a suede strap that had her initials stamped on it. Karen, with her amazing attention to detail, is a woman after my own heart.

Her most recent project was working with the artists at Creative Growth, a gallery in Oakland. Creative Growth Art Center serves physically, mentally and developmentally disabled adult artists, providing a stimulating environment for artistic instruction, gallery promotion and personal expression. You can see their art here. Her next project is to work with a school for the hearing impaired in Scottsdale. I can't wait to see what comes out of this collaboration. There's so much to Karen and her art, read more about her here.

A blog fetish.

I simply adore the new blog Print Fetish. Written by a design duo, the site offers “news, information, reviews and history on the subjects of beautiful magazines, self-published 'zines, handmade books, small press, comix, art books and miscellaneous printed ephemera.” And while I totally dig their critiques (they rip apart Paper; and totally love my favorite men’s fashion magazine He), it is their weekly feature spotlighting interesting magazine racks I clamor for.  Yes, we sell a few ourselves, but it’s also good to see what’s out there. Maybe one of ours will make the cut in future weeks.

CCA Class Wrap-Up

As you've likely read, DWR and California College of the Arts had teamed up for a furniture production class in the Fall of 2006. The emphasis of the class, taught by Brian Kane, was on sustainability, developing seating solutions for contract and residential markets. We recognized the students at an event last month at the DWR Potrero Studio. We wanted to share with you the chairs that best met the goals of the class.

Tim Hundersmarck's Egg Carton Chair

Justin Champaign's Bent Maplex Chair

Kerry Bogus's Red "love" Chair.

Congratulations and thanks to all of the students who participated.

Modern Motorcycles

On March 14th, DWR's Flatiron Studio will host an event with North Shore Motorcycles, makers of custom luxury bikes and dealers of four American motorcycle brands. Custom motorcycles will be displayed in the Studio with the builders from NSMC on hand to answer questions. Emeco is providing a 1006 Navy Chair, which will be customized by NSMC and given away in a drawing at the end of the evening. Cocktails from Reyka Vodka and delicious sandwiches from 'wichcraft will be served. RSVP to flatiron@dwr.com.

Dining By Design 2007

Recently DWR was approached by the New York Times to help them design their table at DIFFA’s Dining by Design in New York. Michael Davis in our Chelsea Studio took on the project and here’s a recap of the experience:

I have always known about this event, but never thought I would have the opportunity to participate so directly. I had an image in my head of a fantasy world and suddenly remembered an artist (Diana Bryan) whose work reminded me of Tim Burton’s animation. I found an image called “New Hampshire Hotel” that she did for the New York Times Book Review over 20 years ago and I wanted this to be the walls for my design. The three surrounding walls were die-cut in PVC material and a half inch thick, which came to life when finished, immersing diners in the artwork. I designed the centerpiece, which was produced in black acrylic to house the very cool Vitra miniatures. For the dining space, I used the Cross Extension Table in oak and red Globus Chairs from Stua, which are exclusive to DWR.

Without the lighting, the room felt naked, but once the Arco Lamps were installed, the space felt intimate and inviting. I knew I went in the right design direction when Mr. Druckman, who is the President of the New York Design Center, said that my table was his favorite, I was shocked. Even Ted Allen from Queer Eye who was next to my table loved it. Also Michael Tavano and Vicente Wolf (who borrowed Panton Chairs from DWR for his table) expressed their words of “wow.”

The design represented an open approach to what design means to me and incorporated classics with new designs, which is a true view of DWR products. I was happy that my skills and the hard work of those who donated their time and products could be used for such a great cause like DIFFA.

Michael Davis
Account Executive – DWR Chelsea Studio

Start Branching Out.

I had the good fortune last week to sit down with one of our designers, Matthew Hilton. Hilton is the designer of our Cross Extension Table which recently won an award from Elle Décor. He currently designs for Habitat, Case and dabbles a little bit for himself. I asked him a few questions, here's what he had to say.

Q: So, what would you like to design?
A: A bike, but a cool bike, a good looking bike, one where the lights and safety features are part of the frame, not an afterthought.

Q: What was the last big thing you bought?
A: A camera (Canon) and a ton of furniture from Ikea for my home in Spain.

Q: What do you wish someone would design?
A: A really good looking city car, one that is battery operated.

Q: What are you designing now?
A: A dining table for myself that I plan to make for two friends as well, if it comes out good.

Thanks Matthew for the candid responses. Make sure to send us a photo of the table when you're finished.